The present invention is directed to floor sweepers or carpet sweepers. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a mechanism for rotating the brush roll of such sweepers.
Carpet sweepers in which the brush rotates at a faster rate of speed than the speed of rotation of a traction wheel of the device are known. Such carpet sweepers employ a gear train which is not sealed from the environment and is therefore prone to becoming jammed with dust, pet hairs, and the like. Nor do such carpet sweepers have an epicyclic or planetary gear arrangement which would provide a compact construction. Other carpet sweepers are known which utilize a gear train mechanism having planetary gears for driving a centrally positioned rotating brush. However, these gearing mechanisms are also not sealed from the environment and are thus prone to becoming jammed by the dirt and particles which are swept up by the rotary brush of the carpet sweeper.
A multi-element gear train mechanism interconnecting a pair of driving wheels of a carpet sweeper with a pair of rotary brushes is also known. The brushes are selectively actuated depending on the direction of rotation of the carpet sweeper. This gear train is enclosed in an elongated rectangular housing and includes a plurality of adjacent gears rather than a compact planetary gear construction.
Accordingly, it has been considered desirable to develop a new and improved floor sweeper which would overcome the foregoing difficulties and others while providing better and more advantageous overall results.